


The Sixth Blight- Prologue- Helping Has A High Cost Sometimes

by BelleWrites (sunleyemrys)



Series: The Sixth Blight RP [12]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: AU, OC, Role-Playing Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 04:02:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15788565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunleyemrys/pseuds/BelleWrites
Summary: Big ass project to turn the collaborative role play writing I've been doing with a group of friends into a cohesive story. Some things will be edited from the original posts.. but this is largely just cleaning it up and putting everything in order. Each major plot point will be its own post with chapters. Hopefully the story will make sense.





	The Sixth Blight- Prologue- Helping Has A High Cost Sometimes

Andryanna stormed off, leaving the dungeons and Gwyn behind. She was angry, beyond angry. Much as she wanted to hate the Templar, he was sadly the closest thing she had to family, the only link to her past.

Her own good nature was getting the better of her, and she knew it. Wardens didnt carry these kinds of attachments, she reminded herself. They had a purpose, to fight the Blight and save the world.

She stomped through the kitchens, grabbing a bit of bread and cheese before heading towards to her room. Andie stopped, staring at the scarred wood, this wasnt where she felt at peace, it was simply the place she slept. She needed to go where she belonged.

The Library.

Weisshaupt boasted one of the oldest libraries in all of Thedas, maybe not the best, but it had tomes no other place did. She'd be at peace with herself there, she just knew it.

Andryanna ducked into her room to grab her scribe materials before heading up the staircase to the large room. A grizzled Warden blinked rheumy eyes at her before waving her past.

She took a deep breath in, the smells of the books easing her mind just as much as feeling her magic under her skin once again. Andie knew she had nearly lost control in the dungeon, a mistake that hadnt happened since her early days at the Circle.

Claiming an empty desk, she laid out her things before heading to the shelves, finding books on Lyrium and its effects on people, what happened with Gwyn wasnt normal by any means. And it was a puzzle, something tangible she would figure out and ignore the roiling confusion of emotions inside.

Settling down with a stack, she began reading, idly eating and making notes.

***

Tiberius had just woken up in his quarters when alarm bells sounded. The night watch had been uneventful, but it seemed the new day had brought new activity to the keep. He nearly ran straight into Rhita when he rolled out of bed gripping his sword.

"Don't bother, boy, I've already been to the walls. They're too far for us to reach and the mages have it handled. You're dismissed for now, feel free to explore the keep but don't you dare stray off again." Her blue eyes were narrowed, daring him to disobey her. Tiberius had no intention of doing so.

It was strange to be left to his own devices after so many days of activity and constant company. It was somewhat liberating; no glares from Rhita or Gwyn, nothing chasing him, no horses to ride. Still, Tiberius found himself full of nervous energy. His ears were full of a constant, low buzz no matter where he went.

The soldier decided to turn away from the corridor to the great hall and kitchen. He was always hungry now but he ignored his stomach; he'd rather explore. A large staircase looked enticing, so he trailed up the stairs and pushed into a large, quiet room lined with bookshelves. There was an elderly Warden sitting next to a desk who appeared to be dozing.

He padded quietly through the room, lost in thought. His brother would have been right at home in a place like this. Dusty, warm, and quiet, full of secrets beyond the understanding of common men like him. He trailed a finger along the spines of the books, wondering what it would be like to live in a world like this. The faint fluttering of pages turning floated through the still air like a whisper.

He emerged at the end of the row and stopped short. "Oh, Andie," he said, a blush tinging his cheeks. He should go. He didn't belong in a place like this. "I'm sorry, I'll just...I'll leave you to it."

Andie jumped, scattering loose papers. "Oh! Tiberius!" She stood to gather up the papers. "I didnt hear you come in... into the library. Not my library."

"I'm trying to figure out something. And so far, the best I can come up with is a poorly translated Anders record of lyrium interacting badly with the Blight and darkspawn blood. But it wasnt the same. Least not from the description." She sighed, holding the pages.

"And you have no idea what I am talking about, do you?"

Tiberius ran a hand through his hair, chagrined. "Ahh...no. Need an expert at stabbing or dismembering, I'm your man. Lyrium inter-whatsits and old records...not so much." He laughed uncomfortably. "I really should go, I don't want to disturb you and I'm not going to be much help."

"Ser Gwyn had a weird lyrium withdrawal reaction. It wasnt normal, and I dont know if its the Taint in his blood, or something else." She set the papers on the table and reached to touch his hand briefly.

"I could really use another set of eyes. Some of the Ancient Tevene is written strangely, you speak Tevene, maybe you can help me out, since I think its written in a dialect I'm not familiar with." She smiled at him. "Please?"

Maker curse it, she was smiling up at him with big blue eyes. "No, you don't understand... I can't read." He looked away in shame. "When they found out my brother was a mage and we were elevated to Laetans, I should have learned. But, my father couldn't pay the academies for his spot alone so... and then I joined the army. I'm the family embarrassment now, back home." And all that was even before he'd deserted from the army. What a joke he'd become.

He could barely force himself to look at Andie. Surely she thought he was a fool.

Her fingers curled around his shoulder, tugging him around. "Tiberius. Tiberius, its never too late to learn."

She pulled on his arm, pushing some of the tomes aside, "I use to teach the younger apprentices to read and write back at the Circle. And you are smart, you'll pick this up in no time. You arent an embarrassment, I for one think you are a good man who just needs the chance." She blushed brightly, looking down at the table.

Andie motioned for him to sit down, "Sit sit! Lets start with the basics, do you know how to write your name?"

He sat gingerly on a chair next to Andie. “Afraid I never even learned that much. But I’ll learn if you’ve got time to teach.”

He picked up the quill she shoved into his hand and listened intently as she explained and made marks on a blank page. Her face was so animated as she explained, he couldn’t help but smile.

"Then lets start with that." She wrote out his name in a clear, precise hand. "Each letter or mark, represents a sound, those sounds make up words."

Andie scribbled her name down with a flourish, "And thats my name, 'Andryanna'," She wrote underneath that, "And thats how you write 'Andie'."

"You try it, and its okay to get frustrated. It takes practice." She sat next to him, pulling her books over to work on the translations some more between teaching.

At her urging, Tiberius was able to scratch a shaky copy of his name onto the paper. It was sloppy compared to her neat loops, but it made him grin. "Honestly, it still looks like a scribble to me but I'll take your word for it that it says my name," he said, looking up at her. Her own notes filled a whole page. It was amazing how quickly she could rifle through the tomes she'd gathered.

"Andie, is Gwyn alright? I may not understand what you said before but I do know it sounds serious."

"Your T's are fair, but you lose patience part-way through writing. Break it down and write each letter on its own. T-I-B-E-R-I-U-S." She wrote the letters individually for him to copy.

"As for Gwyn, I'm not sure. He had a strange reaction when he began going through lyrium withdrawal. He began bleeding from his eyes, nose, ears and coughing up blood. I'm no Healer, and I'm not a great alchemist, but something was wrong."

She tapped the books with her quill. "Hence. Research. Any similar cases or illnesses will provide a clue. But so far there is very little on withdrawal causing that kind of symptom, even on Templars who became Wardens."

"But, I have to fix whats wrong so I can punch him in the nose." She scowled. "I'd never been Silenced before, it was terrifying to have a piece of myself gone."

More words he'd never heard before, though this one he could guess. He knew Southern templars had magic-canceling abilities that no Tevinter templar would ever dare play with. The mages in his homeland couldn't shut up about it. He focused in again on the page, thinking about it while he traced the letters Andie had written out. She seemed fine physically but from what he'd learned about Andie over the past few days, she was hardly one to exaggerate.

If anything, it seemed like an invasion, like what the blood mages could do. Reach into your head and cut something out... He didn't want to think about that.

"How's this?" he asked, holding up the page. "A few more years and I might just be able to grab the right books off the shelves for you."

She looked up from her notes, grinning widely. "Very good!" Andie grabbed another piece of paper, writing down a few basic words. "I think you'll catch on faster than a few years. L-Y-R-I-U-M. Lyrium. S-W-O-R-D. Sword. M-A-G-I-C. Magic."

"Try these out. I found in teaching, especially older pupils, by creating associations and using things the student is familiar with helps speed the process."

Andie sighed, unbuckling part of her tabard, "Warden armor, while functional, does not take in mind leaning over a desk." She slid the outer shell of her armor off, clad in just her under-tunic and trousers. "Now lets pray no darkspawn get this far into the fortress."

She grabbed one of the smaller stacks, examining the covers, "Why did I grab these? What was I thinking?" She stood, tapping the paper, "You work, I'm going to put these back and see what else I can dig up."

Keep those eyes on that page, Tiberius admonished himself, trying to hide a smile while Andie stripped down to her tunic and pants. A passerby might be scandalized! He snuck a glance back at the librarian, who was now snoring quietly by the door.

He took a few moments to watch Andie’s retreat when she went to grab more books; after all, he was only a man. He quickly fixed his eyes back on the alphabet when the lack of quill scratching lasted a moment too long. Andie had shot him a reproving look. Hopefully she didn’t realize the cause of his distraction.

He was squinting at the page by the time she returned. “Light’s getting low, think it’s time to get a candle or two?”

"Huh? Yeah I guess I should. Though reading by candlelight for long periods is not great your eyesight. Lemme see if he has anything." She shuffled off to pester the old Warden.

"Excuse me, Ser?" He bolted up, coughing narrowing his eyes at her. "Do you have a table candelabra?" He pointed towards a dusty rack of candles and various holders. "Thank you."

She grabbed a large 4 pronged one, setting candles into each and lighting them in turn before returning to the table.

Setting it down in the center, Andie walked around the table, pausing to look over Tiberius's work. "Hang on, like this." She leaned over his shoulder, taking the hand holding the quill in hers, guiding the motions of the letters. "Very few letters in Trade are written on the upwards stroke, your writing will be neater if you work from the top down."

She released his hand, watching him copy the motion, suddenly very aware that her torso was pressed against his back. Blushing brightly, Andie patted his shoulder lightly, "Excellent work. I'll make a scribe of you yet."

Tiberius wanted to laugh. Did she know what she was doing? Was she deliberately leaning into him? Her rosy cheeks told him she at least realized how closely they'd been pressed together.

"You know, you shouldn't tease," he said, mock-glaring at her. "About my progress, I mean."

Andie's blush deepened. "I didnt... I wasnt..." She stumbled back to her chair, sitting and glancing at Tiberius through the corner of her eye. "You are progressing very well actually."

They sat in semi comfortable silence, Andie quietly correcting him when needed between shifting through the stacks of books. The candles began to burn lower when she snapped a book closed forcefully, letting out a sigh.

"I'm missing something. There is a piece I am missing." She pulled out her notes, showing Tiberius. "I've accounted for him taking lyrium for at least a decade, the addition of darkspawn blood, twice in his case, even the Shriek poison." She shook her head, the braid falling loose to send her long hair flying. "I'm pretty sure the lyrium he has been using is the same stuff they have in the Circle, so I highly doubt its contaminated."

Andie stood, grabbing the outer layer of her armor and tossing it back on. "Guess I will have to go the source and pester Gwyn, cause I'm missing something." She paused, "Although, it been hours since I ate a real meal, should probably eat first and give my mind some time to puzzle through it. Would you like to share a bench in the hall and then shake a bothersome templar?"

Tiberius stood and stretched. Who knew he, of all people, would have spent an afternoon in the library? "Absolutely, I'm famished. And I'd like to be there when you go interrogate Gwyn, if only to stop you from getting too violent. We need him alive, after all."

Tiberius paused while Andie packed away her notes. That first paper was in his pile somewhere... "T...i...b..." he sounded out under his breath. That was the one! He furtively rolled it up and stuck it in his belt. It would make a good memento.

"Let's see if we can find out who all that commotion was for, too, while we're down there."


End file.
